Table-lock.



G. S. BURTON.

TABLE LOOK.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 9, 1913. 1 ,098,0 1 3.

Patented May 26, 1914.

'nnrrnn STATES PATENT orrron CHARLES S. BURTON, OF OAK PARK, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO EMIL TYDEN, OF HASTINGS, MICHIGAN.

TABLE-LOCK.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 26, 1914.

Application filed June 9, 1913. Seria1No. 772,483.

To all whom it may concern.

Be it known that I, CHARLES S. BURTON, a citizen of the United States, residing at Oak Park, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented new and useful Improvements in Table-Locks, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part thereof.

The purpose of this invention is to provide an improved device for securing an extension table at closed position and at various degrees of extension of the table members.

It consists in the elements and features of construction shown and described as indicated in the claims.

In the drawings: Figure 1 is a top plan view of a table embodying this invention, showing the same extended with two fillers interposed between the top members. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of one of the outer slides with the locking devices mounted thereon. Fig. 3 is a section at the line, 3-3, on Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a section at the line, 4-4, on Fig. 2.

The drawings show two top members, 1, 1, on an extension table, which are mounted upon the supporting member or pedestal, 3, by means of the customary slides, 4, secured to the top members, and the slides, 5, secured to the supporting members. The slides are, as usual, in two sets at opposite sides of the middle longitudinal line of the table, each set comprising two slides, 4, one attached to each table top member, and (when the pedestal or support is not divided for extension) one slide, 5, attached to the supporting member. The slides, 5, have each in their vertical surface adjacent to the outer slide, 4, recess notches or apertures, 6, positioned at intervals along the length of the slides corresponding to the various stages of extension of the table top,that is, to the stages of extension adapted to admit one or more fillers, 7. In the outer slide, 4, of each set there is mounted a dog or bolt, 8, whose outer end is adapted, as hereinafter described, for engagement for thrusting and withdrawing it, and whose inner end is adapted to engage the recesses or apertures, 6. The bolt is preferably provided with a metal housing 8, the outer end of which has an inturned flange, 8 which stops the 0111 61.

end of a spring, 9, coiled around the bolt within the housing, and acting at its inner end against a shoulder, 10, with which the bolt is provided back of a journaling area, 10, the spring thus tending to thrust and hold the bolt inward for engagement of its inner end with the notches of the slide, 5. The said inner end portion, 11, of the bolt which effects this engagement,-that is, the portion beyond the journaling area, 10 ,is positioned eccentrically with respect to the axis of the bolt. At the outer end, the bolt has a short transversely projecting arm or finger, 12, standing parallel with the outer face of the slide, 4; and immediately forward from said arm or finger, 12, the bolt is cogged, forming integrally with said bolt a worm pinion portion, 13. Mounted upon the outer side of the outer slide, 4, there is a rod, 14, for which slide bearings, 15, 15, 15 are mounted upon the outer side of said slide, 4. This rod extends transversely to the bolt, 8, immediately adjacent to, and, as

illustrated, below the worm pinion portion,

13, and is provided with a worm, 16, which is adapted to engage said pinion, 13. The rod, 14, extends beyond the outer end of the slide, 4, and is provided with a suitable knob, 14, for rotating it by hand in its bearings, 15. A spring, 18, coiled about the cam rod and suitably stopped at one end on the same, and at the other end against one of the bearings, 15, operates with a tendency to thrust the cam rod inward along the slide, 4.

At the normal position of the rod,that is, the position to which it is normally thrust by the spring, 18,the worm, 16, is engaged with the worm pinion, 13. A little beyond the worm, 16, the rod, 14, carries a cam collar, 19, which is stopped as to endwise movement on the rod, and stopped on the slide, 4, against turning, being loose on the rod, so that the latter is free to turn in the collar. This collar has a wedge-like cam fing r, 19 positioned for passing above the bolt, 8, and engaging the bolt arm, 12, when the bolt stands at the position at which said arm, 12, projects upward. This wedge cam finger, 19, is adapted, upon the outward longitudinal movement of the rod, 14, to force the bolt, 8, outward by its engagement with the arm, 12, of the latter. In this movement of the cam rod, the worm, 16, is

withdrawn from engagement with the worm pinion, 13, before the cam finger, 19 encounters the arm, 12, for withdrawing the bolt.

The aperture or recess, 6, is preferably circular with a diameter equal to that of the path described by the terminal, 11, in the rotation of the bolt, 8, in its housing. At the normal position of the bolt, the arm or finger, 12, projects upward so as to stand in the path of the cam slope. At this posi tion of the bolt, the inner eccentric end portion, 11, stands at the inner side of the path in which it moves in the rotation of the bolt; that is, at the side remote from the handle end of the cam rod; and is therefore free from, the pressure which it is adapted to exert on the slides for clamping the top members together when it is rotated to the opposite side of its path, as hereinafter pointed out. At this position, the oitset arm, 12, of the bolt is stopped against a stud, 17, preventing the bolt from rotating in the direction in which the longitudinal pull of he rod, 14, would tend to rotate it. lVhen the rod is retracted by its spring to the position shown in Fig. 8, permitting the bolt to enter one of the recesses, (3, the worm, 16, moves up against the worm pinion, 13, so that upon a little farther inthrust of the rod said worm engages the worm pinion, and rotation of the rod rotates the bolt in its housing in the slide, 4. In such rotation, the eccentriCally-positioned terminal, 11, of the bolt engaging the side of the aperture, 6, into which it protrudes, operates to crowd the slide, 4, on which the bolt is mounted, longitudinally inward, and thus to close up any gap which may otherwise exist between the table-top members or intervening fillers, and thus to clamp the table-top tight, either atfully closed-up or at extended position, according to the position of the aperture, 6, with which the bolt is at the time engaged.

For releasing the table to remove fillers, or to extend it to admit fillers, the rod will be rotated in the opposite direction, thereby rotating the bolt to relieve the clamping; and when the bolt is rotated to the position shown in Fig. 8, it may be pulled longitudinally, which will cause the cam finger, 19, to withdraw the bolt, which, by the rotation has been released from the pressure of the clamping, which would otherwise tend to prevent its withdrawal. In this operation, the turning of the bolt by the pressure of the cam finger against the arm, 12, is prevented by the stud, 17, as above explained; and this stud also arrests the rotation of the bolt when the rod, 14, is rotated for that purpose to release the clampin and thereby insures the proper position of the arm, 12, for action of the cam finger when the rod is to be pulled for withdrawing the bolt.

I claim 1. In an extension table, in combination with top members and a supporting member and slides by which said members are connected for extension of the top, comprising a slide on the supporting member and a slide engaged therewith on each movable top member; an engaging device mounted on the top member for engagement with the supporting member slide, and a plurality of means on the supporting member slide for such engagement, distributed along the length of said slide at intervals corresponding to several stages of extension, said engaging device on the top member slide being mounted thereon for two movements; one, a movement into and out of such engagement, and the other, for causing relative movement of the two slides; an operating member mounted in supports fixed with re spect to the top member slide and connected with the engaging device for giving it said two movements, and extended to the outer end of said slide for manipulation at the end of the table.

2. In an extension table, in combination with a supporting member and top members, slides by which they are connected for extension and closing up of the top members comprising slides on the supporting member and slides engaged therewith on the top members respectively; a bolt mounted on one of the slides of each top member for engagement with the adjacent supporting member slide, said supporting member slide having a plurality of means for such engagement distributed at intervals in its length corresponding to the several stages of extension, the bolt being rotatable in the slide in which it is mounted, and having its end portion which engages the adjacent slide eccentric to the axis of rotation, whereby the rotation of the bolt when engaged tends to move the two slides relatively to each other longitudinally for clamping or releasing the top members, and means mounted upon the top member slide for reciprocating the bolt and also for rotating it.

3. In an extension table, in combination with a supporting member and top members, slides by which they are connected for extension and closing up of the top members, comprising slides on the supporting member and slides engaged therewith on the top members respectively; a bolt mounted on oneof the slides of each top member for engagement with the adjacent supportingmember slide, said supportingmember slide having a plurality of means for such engagement distributed at intervals in its length corresponding to the several stages of extension, the bolt being rotatablein the slide in which it is mounted, and having its end portion which engages the adjacent slide eccentric to the axis of rotation, whereby the rotation of the bolt when engaged tends to move the two slides relatively to each other longitudinally for clamping or releasing the top members, and means mounted upon the top member slide for reciprocating the bolt and also for rotating it, said means comprising a rod mounted upon said top member slide and extending to the outer end thereof, and provided with means for manipulation accessible from the end of the table.

4. In an extension table, in combination with a supporting member and two movable top members, slides on the supporting member; slides engaged therewith on the top members respectively; a bolt mounted on one top member slide for engagement with the supporting member slide, the latter having a plurality of bolt-engaging means distributed along its length at intervals corresponding to the several stages of extension; a longitudinally movable rod mounted upon the top member slide extending across the bolt, the latter having a projection extending across the rod, a cam in the rod which engages the project-ion on the bolt for actuating the latter endwise when the rod is moved endwise, the bolt having a cogged portion and the rod having a worm adapted to engage the cogged portion for rotating the bolt by the rotation of the rod, and means by which such rotation of the bolt causes relative longitudinal movement of the two slides.

5. In combination with a bolt mounted for rotation and reciprocation, an operating rod extending across it mounted for rotation. and

reciprocation, the bolt having a transversely projecting arm and a cogged portion adjacent the arm; a cam on the rod for engaging the arm of the bolt, and a worm for engaging the cogged portion of the bolt, and a stop fixed with respect to the bearing of the bolt for encounter of the bolt arm, positioned for arresting said arm in the rotation of the bolt caused by the rotation of the rod at a position in the path of the cam on the rod.

6. In combination with a bolt mounted for rotation and reciprocation, the rod extending across the bolt and mounted for r0- tation and reciprocation; means by which the rotation of the rod rotates the bolt, and means by which the reciprocation of the rod reciprocates the bolt, said means comprising a collar mounted on the rod beyond the bolt longitudinally stopped on the rod and loose thereon for relative rotation of the two; a cam finger projecting from the collar toward the bolt in position to pass the bolt at the opposite side thereof from that at which the rod extends past it, and means for guiding the cam finger between the bolt finger and the slide on which the bolt is mounted when the rod is pulled longitudinally.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand at Chicago, Illinois, this 4th day of June, 1913.

CHARLES S. BURTON. Witnesses:

M. GER'rRUDE ADY, LUoY I. STONE.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

